Can't sleep, clown will eat me

In some of the least shocking news of the last few decades, kids apparently find clowns creepy:

Bad news for Coco and Blinko -- children don't like clowns and even older kids are scared of them.

The news that will no doubt have clowns shedding tears was revealed in a poll of youngsters by researchers from the University of Sheffield who were examining how to improve the decor of hospital children's wards.

The study, reported in the Nursing Standard magazine, found all the 250 patients aged between four and 16 they quizzed disliked the use of clowns, with even the older ones finding them scary.

Now, I think most American teenagers outgrow their fear of these garishly painted and dressed goons, sliding into more of a feeling of contempt for them, but these are British kids the article is talking about, so maybe it's a cultural thing.